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Bill

SD 69

Resolve establishing the Harmony commission to study and make recommendations related to the welfare and best interests of children in care and protection cases

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Mark Montigny and 1 co-sponsor

Establishes a temporary Harmony Commission to study and recommend reforms to prioritize child welfare and safety in care, protection, and consent-dispense cases.

House concurred
0
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Bill Summary · SD 69

Summary of Senate Docket No. 69: Harmony Commission Resolve

Purpose and intent

  • Create a temporary, expert-staffed commission (the Harmony Commission) to study and make recommendations regarding the welfare and best interests of children in care and protection cases, including petitions to dispense with parental consent.
  • The commission is intended to build on the work of the Trial Court’s Care and Protection Working Group and to examine how rights, welfare, and best interests are considered in relevant proceedings.

Key provisions and scope

  • The commission shall study and make recommendations about:
    • How a child’s rights, welfare, and best interests are currently considered in care and protection cases and in petition-to-dispense-with-consent cases (under section 29C of chapter 119 and section 3 of chapter 210).
    • Constitutional provisions, statutes, interstate compacts, case law, rules and regulations, policies, procedures, trainings, and related factors across state and judicial contexts.
    • Impacts on certain groups (children of color, immigrant children, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+ children, trauma-affected children, and those living in poverty).
    • Balancing constitutional rights of parents and children with prioritizing child safety and well-being, including perspectives on sibling visitation rights.

Composition and appointments

  • The Commission shall include:
    • Co-chairs: chairs of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, and chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
    • Additional leadership: chair and vice-chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus (or designees).
    • Members appointed by the Governor: 5 total (2 of whom have been in foster care as children; 2 as foster parents).
    • An attorney general or designee; the child advocate or designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families or designee; the Chief Counsel of CPCS or designee.
    • 1 CPCS-attorney (certified in the CCF Division) with at least 7 years’ care-and-protection experience and relevant trial background.
    • 3 members appointed by the MA Bar Association (former judges with 7+ years on juvenile court, diverse districts, and one former first justice).
    • Other roles: the Commissioner of Probation or designee; 1 member from CASA (5+ years’ experience); 1 clinician from the MA Alliance of Juvenile Court Clinics; deputy court administrator for the juvenile court; 1 member from the MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth; representatives from Jane Doe, Inc.; Disability Law Center; MA Association of Guardians ad Litem; MA Child Welfare Coalition (an attorney); and the National Association of Counsel for Children.
  • All appointments must be made within 30 days after the resolution’s effective date; members serve without compensation.

Procedures, hearings, and timeline

  • Public involvement: at least 3 public hearings in geographically diverse areas; at least one hearing after a draft report with recommendations and draft legislation.
  • Public participation: opportunity to testify in person or submit written testimony; hearings open to the public under applicable Open Meeting laws.
  • Meetings: first meeting within 60 days of the resolution’s effective date; meetings at least monthly.
  • Reporting deadline: by January 1, 2026, the commission must file a final report with findings and recommendations (including racial impact statements) with the Senate and House clerks, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court Department; the report must also be posted on the Department of Children and Families’ website.

Status and procedural notes

  • Legislative actions: referred to the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities on March 10, 2025; the House has concurred with the bill.
  • Nature of the instrument: a joint “resolve” establishing a temporary commission, with members serving without compensation and without guaranteed funding specified in the text.

Potential impact

  • The bill would establish an affirmative, cross-branch body to assess and propose reforms to ensure child welfare and safety are prioritized in care, protection, and consent-dispense proceedings.
  • Recommendations could influence future legislation, court practices, and policy Priorities in child welfare and juvenile justice, particularly around protections for marginalized groups and sibling visitation norms.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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